Selah
User comments for Selah
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The "selah" is a time to stop reading and reflect on what you have read. It is common in Jewish prayers. It is not used as a name by Jewish people.
-- Miss Claire 12/13/2004
I've been looking into this word and the consensus seems to be that, although it might well originate in music as a pause as suggested, the scriptural usage indicates an instruction to the reader to stop and consider carefully what has been said. In effect, it's a reinforcer: "reflect on the above, because it's important".
-- Shkval 2/20/2005
I have seen SELAH used as first name in a South Carolina will dated 1787 by her father then in 1795 by her husband. This SELAH was born around 1750 either in North Carolina or South Carolina. I have been told this name is Native American often given to one named Sarah but I have not seen this confirmed anywhere. But based on family records Sarah was a common name for the related family during the period noted above.
-- wah1949 4/25/2005
SELAH is the name of a Christian rock band.
-- AndrewJKD 5/14/2005
My cousin's name is Selah and I think it is very pretty.
-- SOUNDOFSiLENCE 7/23/2005
The name Selah means "To Pause and Reflect". Specifically used in the Psalms after a passage of scripture. You are supposed to pause and reflect on the previous passage.
-- Caledonia 5/5/2006
Pronounced Sea-La.
-- Anonymous User 8/2/2006
I think I prefer this version over Sela, although both are pretty.
-- flipflop1215 12/12/2006
I think Selah is very beautiful. I love the meaning of the name as well.
-- EgYpTiAn PrInCeSs 1/18/2007
In the book Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle, Selah is the name of Noah's (as in the Biblical Noah's) pet mammoth.
-- Aqua 4/6/2007
It is pronounced Say-la. It is a Christian musical group, but in the book of Psalms it is meant to be an indicator for the reader to stop and weigh what was just said and think on it. Pause and reflect. I've never heard it described anywhere as an American Indian name (and I've done some research on this since this is my daughters name). This beautiful name gives an instant indicator as to how versed a person is. It also gives an awesome opportunity to evangalize your faith. I get really irritated when people pronounce it SEE-la.
-- Anonymous User 4/29/2007
According to the Webster's Dictionary and Dictionary.com, it's pronounced SEE-lah.
-- Aqua 5/12/2007
The Hebrew (that is, the original) pronunciation is seh-lah. SAY-lah and SEE-lah are both more recent Christian pronunciations.
-- cait 7/27/2007
Beautiful name, but it would get mispronounced often. Also, no matter how you pronounce it, it is very close to Sailor, Sealer and Seller.
-- pandasayscynical 2/3/2008
This is the name of one of my cousins, and I've always thought it was really pretty. By the way, I don't know how it's originally pronounced, but she pronounces it "say-lah."
-- katydid09 10/4/2008
My name is Selah and I pronounce it Sell-uh, as is the original Hebrew way.
-- theREALselah 10/10/2008
I think this should also be considered a masculine name, if only because of its historical usage. Like the name Ashley, it seems that in the US in the 19th century it was much more commonly used as a man's name as opposed to a woman's name. (source: Heritage Quest online census search).
-- Lady_Callaghan 10/16/2008
I would like this name pronounced SAY-lah.
-- kool_babe14 5/15/2009
Alright this conversation was interesting me, But my name is Selah. I pronounce it SEE-lah. I did a lot of research on it when my dad told me it was in the bible. It says the definition of it is "Amen" or "the ending to a passage or prayer".
-- selahwelah 11/25/2009
If you pronounce this name See-la, an alternate spelling could be "Ceila."
-- ALOF10 12/1/2009
Not to be confused with Sela, which in Hebrew is spelled differently and means 'rock'.
-- macbeth paradox 10/10/2010
A variant is Selahna, pronounced SEH-lah-nah. Almost similar to Svetlana.
-- fishl_x 9/9/2011
The name's usage most likely started among the Puritans who liked to use Biblical words and place names with significance.
-- Anonymous User 8/1/2012
Selah means "God has spoken". It is also used in modern Arabic to mean "prayer".
-- drysnymphe 6/1/2013
As someone who rifles through old American and European census records for genealogical purposes, I can offer that Selah was a popular male name in the 1700s and 1800s (if not before), along with other Biblical names that are not as popular today. In the AMC show TURN, set during the American Revolutionary War, Selah ("Say-luh") is the name of a male character.
-- bellehime 4/12/2014
Absolutely adore this name! I love the meaning and the overall look and sound of it. I really want to name my future daughter Selah Jezebel!
-- kaceyjustine 5/26/2014
This is also a masculine name, see Selah Strong, husband of spy Anna Strong.
-- Anonymous User 7/4/2016
My name is Selah and the proper pronunciation is actually SAY LAH.
-- Cowgirlsavvy98 11/6/2016
Pronunciation break down of the word Selah ("Sel-ah"~{~sell-ah~})Selah is the description of a person's character and the personality traits of an individual, and is another variation of a person to be named Sarah... According to old Hebrew Original Testament of the Bible KJV of crowned UK.
-- AyeSarita 11/21/2016
My second name is Selah and it's pronounced as Seh-lah. Guess what my first name is...It's Praise. Haha! I know some may say it's tacky but so far, everyone I've met tells me that they love it. So... Thank you, Parents! ^_^
-- sunnysnook77 7/4/2017
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